Soul's Goodbye
by Lucyrne
Summary: "Alright," Soul said, capturing the room's attention. "I, um, I wanted to talk to everybody one on one before I left." A sad but hopeful smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I just feel like after all we've been through together, I owe you guys this much." Maka inhaled sharply, both dreading and eagerly anticipating what grand goodbye he had in store for her.


T**he One With Soul's Goodbye, based upon a "Friends" episode.**

Contrary to its name, it was unusual for a party at Gallows Manor to embody the solemn joylessness of an execution. Maka, at least, could not bring herself to feel anything more than the dread of the chopping block.

Soul was leaving.

Why would she have fun a party celebrating that _Soul was leaving?_

At his coronation, Kid announced that Soul was the Last Deathscythe. Now that Shibusen was allied with the witches, it could no longer condone the hunting of witches to create more deathscythes. But it wasn't so simple to deconstruct an institution that had been in place for so long. Deathscythes were appointed around the world for special op missions and general peacekeeping. Kid planned to phase out this system for advanced weapon/meister pairs eventually, but it was too soon, too soon to make such a radical change. World leaders wanted to have a regional deathscythe at their beck and call, and after the Battle on the Moon, Kid didn't have a large enough corps of three-star meisters to placate them.

Moreover, Marie was seven months pregnant. Oceania wasn't a large or particularly dangerous region, but it needed its deathscythe.

It infuriated Maka that Kid would even request that Soul leave, let alone order him to, but what stunned her into silence was Soul's immediate agreement.

"It's the next step, isn't it?" Soul had said. "I went Shibusen, I became a Deathscythe. Becoming an independent weapon is next. I've-I've made something of myself." He sounded absolutely astounded as he spoke.

"This is amazing," Maka agreed halfheartedly. She noticed that Soul was searching her face, perhaps for more enthusiasm, and she dredged up any trace of positivity she could."You becoming a deathscythe that surpasses Papa-it's a dream come true," she said. "When he retires, you can always come back here and take over his post."

Soul shook his head. "Kid made it sound like Spirit wasn't going to retire for a long time, and then there's Marie. He can't have three deathscythes in one region."

After that the discussion petered off completely. Weeks passed without even a mention of Soul's upcoming transition.

Maka was by nature open and passionate, yet she quickly found that discussing or even thinking about Soul's imminent departure caused her throat to thicken and her eyes to water. Soul, too avoided the subject, opting instead to stare into space with a worried look on his face, trapped in his own world. Even though they still lived together, though they still bumped elbows in their tiny kitchen and took turns using the shower, it was like a cavernous rift had opened between them, a rift Maka could not traverse no matter how hard she tried.

Before the party, the pair seemed to rally. They fought about whether Maka's ankles looked fat in her sandals, whether Soul should wear something more high-class than a band T-shirt, whether the guest of honor should arrive 15 minutes early or 15 minutes late. They shouted, they laughed. It was like old times, and as Soul drove them to the Manor on his motorcycle, Maka holding onto him in the backseat, it hit Maka that their old life together was truly a thing of the past. Soul was flying out to Shibusen's Oceania office the next day. Registered for her first semester of college in the fall, Maka remained tied to Death City. This was their final ride.

She clung to him. She wondered if he would get mad if she buried her face in his neck to memorize the smell of his skin and the feel of his leather jacket. Wondered whether he would stay if she begged him to, or if he would at least explain his motivation. She held him tighter.

At the Manor it was clear that Kid tried to put on a real party, he really did. He decorated the ballroom with streamers, catered a buffet of food and drink, and carefully placed coasters throughout the room for his friends to hopefully use. French doors leading to a balcony were left open, allowing soft desert wind to flutter inside. The atmosphere was festive, but the undercurrent of nostalgia and melancholy was palpable.

Their core friend group-Kid, the Thompsons, Black Star, Tsubaki-were all present, all wearing happy faces tinged with a little sadness. They were not as crushed by the news as Maka, but they were still sad to see Soul move on.

"Alright," Soul said, capturing the room's attention. "I, um, I wanted to talk to everybody one on one before I left." A sad but hopeful smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I just feel like after all we've been through together, I owe you guys this much."

Maka inhaled sharply, both dreading and eagerly anticipating what grand goodbye he had in store for her.

* * *

><p>The first to receive his personal goodbye was Kid. Seeking privacy, Soul and Kid went onto the empty balcony and shut the french doors. They were still visible through the glass doors, but their conversation would at least remain confidential.<p>

"I feel guilty," Kid admitted. "It doesn't sit well with me to just send you away. If you change your mind, I'm sure I can figure out an alternative-"

"Nah man," Soul said. "You're Lord Death. You have to make these decisions."

Kid leaned forward, suddenly urgent. "Tell me this Soul-" Kid met Soul's eyes. "-Have you packed yet?"

Soul grinned-Kid never changed. "Yup. Got two checked bags and a couple boxes Maka is going to ship for me after I leave. It's all done."

"And your carry-ons?"

"Packed, and my travel documents are in a plastic bag in the order that I'll use them."

Kid's yellow eyes brimmed with tears, and he placed his hands on both of Soul's shoulders, full of pride. "I have nothing left to teach you."

* * *

><p>Kid returned to the group with swollen eyes and tear-stained cheeks. He clearly had only just returned from the brink of an emotional meltdown, and Maka wondered what it was that they had even talked about. If Kid was devolving into tears after one of Soul's talks, how was she going to fair when it was finally her turn? The two boys fist bumped with both hands simultaneously.<p>

Anticipation made the hairs on Maka's neck rise, and she waited for what surely would be Soul's summons to the balcony. Instead, he jerked his chin towards Patty, who followed him outside.

* * *

><p>"In six months the statute of limitations runs out and I can travel internationally again," Patty said when they arrived on the balcony. "So I'll definitely visit."<p>

Soul wasn't sure if this was a joke or not, but he chuckled all the same. Patty reached into her pocket and retrieved a small plastic baggie. Inside was a used q-tip and an old, bloodied bandage. "I know we weren't supposed to give you goodbye presents, but I couldn't resist," Patty said.

"Wow." Soul took the baggie from Patty and held it between two fingers. He tried to look grateful, or even a little happy, but everyone had a maximum bullshit limit, even Soul Eater Evans. "Did you fish this out of the trash or something?" he asked quizzically.

"They're my DNA samples," Patty explained. Soul scrunched up his face and held the baggie even further away from his body. "When technology catches up with the theory, you can use it to make Patty clone. That way you don't have to miss me."

It was actually a pretty sweet gesture, even if it was crudely executed. "I'm going to throw this away," Soul said. "But the thought's really nice." Patty beamed at him.

* * *

><p>Patty's usual bubbliness had deflated by the end of her private chat with Soul. She was wiping her eyes as she returned to the group, giving Soul one last wistful wave. The younger Thompson lasted longer than Kid did before shedding tears, but she too fell victim to whatever spell Soul had put on his friends.<p>

"Oh my god he took down Patty," Liz said, horrified. "I'm the crier in the family, oh god, oh my god..."

"Yo," Soul called. "Liz, you want to talk for a sec?"

She followed Soul back to the balcony. At this point, the group had filled their plates with buffet food and taken position near the balcony, waiting for Soul's summons, watching each discussion take place through the glass doors. It made Maka anxious, watching each talk go down without being able to hear the details of what was said, but at least she had the support of all her friends who were waiting alongside her.

"Are you wearing waterproof mascara?" Patty asked Maka.

"No-"

"You're so screwed."

She really was. If Patty and Kid were sobbing over whatever Soul said to them, Maka was going to need to be taken away in a stretcher.

Through the french windows they saw Soul start to say something to Liz, only to be interrupted by Liz's instantaneous bawling. She flung herself at Soul, crying into his shoulder and he patted her on the back, bewildered. Liz's talk with Soul was by far the shortest. In five minutes she was back inside moping by her sister, mascara running down her face, speaking in incoherent sobs that only Patty could interpret.

* * *

><p>After leading Tsubaki to the balcony, Soul did not get a chance to say anything before Tsubaki gave him her own spiel.<p>

"Let me just say something, because once we get into this I might cry," Tsuback said in a rapid string of words. She took a deep breath; this was obviously something she had prepared. "I just want to say that I love you, I'm going to miss you, and I'm so sad you're leaving."

Many beats of silence passed between them. Soul shifted uncomfortably, trying to read Tsubaki's serene expression. "Is that it?" he asked.

"Yes," Tsubaki said. Her lower lip began to quiver, and her mask of tranquillity slipped as her eyes became watery. "I think I need a hug."

Soul gave her a toothy grin and held his arms wide. "C'mere Tsu."

* * *

><p>It baffled Maka how everyone kept returning from these speeches so weepy and emotional spent. Soul wasn't a heart-to-heart type of guy. The way he was conducting these individual farewells emphasized the finality of leaving, the reality of not seeing the people who cared about him for months, maybe years. Maka sat in a satin chair by the buffet table, but she had touched no food. She simply had no appetite for anything but Soul's voice and deep red eyes.<p>

They were looking through the french windows again, watching as Soul and Black Star talked on the balcony.

"You're next," Kid said, glass of champagne in hand. "He saved you for last. You ready?"

"I don't think so," Maka replied. She had never felt so unprepared for anything in her life.

"Oh, you're definitely not," Liz said. Her makeup was still extremely smudged, but her mood improved once Kid saw fit to open the champagne. "Black Star seems to be taking it well, though."

It was true, the talk Soul was having with Black Star seemed to be the most jovial talk of the night. They laughed, punched each other's arms, high-fived. It was like they were packing years of bonding and brofests into a single conversation. They finally hugged, clapping each other on the back three times, and grinning as they broke apart.

As Soul turned to head back inside, Black Star hitched a leg over the balcony railing, preparing to vault himself over the side.

Tsubaki shot out of her seat. "No, no, no!"

They watched Soul whirl around and grab Black Star by the shoulders, yanking him away from the balcony edge. With much struggle, he dragged the distraught ninja rushed over to her meister, speaking softly to calm him down and keep him from darting outdoors again.

As Black Star mournfully ate a plate full of appetizers while Tsu held his hand, Maka awkwardly watched her weapon. This was it. She was the next one, the next person with whom Soul would have a personal, heartrending talk.

Soul finally met her eyes, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "So I'm gonna take off."

Maka blinked. "What?"

"I'm heading out. Got a big day tomorrow, figured I'd skip the champagne fest and just sleep." To all of their friends, he said "Thank you guys so much. You mean a lot to me, and I'm going to miss getting together like this all the time." The others were speechless as Soul wordlessly placed his plastic plate in the trash. He gave the group one more grateful look. "Have a good night, you guys."

Hands firmly in his leather jacket pockets, Soul hurried out of the room, heading down the grand staircase and out the front door, obviously more than eager to leave. Maka was numb. Had they grown so apart that he would just up and leave without a proper goodbye? Was this snub how he wanted her to remember him? She looked helplessly at her friends, all of whom stared at her with guilty eyes.

"I don't get a goodbye?" Maka said quietly.

"Lucky," Black Star muttered jealously.

Tsubaki, already in consolation mode, was at Maka's side. "Oh Maka, maybe with all of your history he thought that it was implicit."

Maka's shock and heartache gave way to cold, bitter outrage. "Well it needs to be plicit!"

"Maybe he was spent from our talks," Liz offered. "It was really intense. He just ran out of emotional energy."

Maka could not help but raise her voice at Liz. "But don't I deserve something? You all get hugs and tears, and I get nothing? Don't pretend you deserved a goodbye more than I do."

"Well, what can you do about it?" Kid asked. "Chase after him and demand a goodbye? You have more pride than that."

"Like hell I do!" she screeched.

Maka stomped through the hall, down the stairs, and out the door with unprecedented speed. She disobeyed the sign that stated "Do not walk on the grass" in order to cut across the green and intercept Soul before he reach his bike at the end of Kid's gravel driveway. When she had almost caught up with him, Maka could no longer stand to contain her simmering rage.

"Soul Eater!" Her fists were shaking almost as much as her voice. Soul turned around at the sound of her harsh voice, surprised. "I don't get a good bye?"

Soul looked both confused and stricken. "What?"

"Everyone gets a goodbye but me?" Agitation and anger crept into Maka's voice. She advanced upon him, trapping the weapon by his motorcycle. "What do I have to do to get a goodbye from you? Be your best friend? Uh, live with you? Turn you into a deathscythe? _Risk my life for you?_ Oh wait a second, wait a minute, I did all those things…"

Soul reached out to touch her forearm, "Maka-"

She swatted his arm away. "Oh, maybe it's me, maybe I'm just not giving the Last Deathscythe the credit he deserves." Maka's voice had grown hoarse with emotion, and tears budded on the corners of her eyes. "It's just so hard, isn't it, to say goodbye to five people. And it's just impossible to say goodbye to a sixth person, even if that person has cooked your meals and done your laundry and, and danced with you in the depths of your soul…"

She looked down and inhaled deeply, trying to steady herself. This was all too much. Looking up, she flashed Soul a bitter smile. "You know what?" she said with a quiet, quivering voice. "I can't believe, after all we've been through, this is how you want to leave things between us. I'm staying here overnight, so just leave your keys under the mat after you go. Have a great time in Oceania."

Maka turned on her heel, resolute, and stalked back towards the Manor gate. She had only taken a few strides forward when she heard quickening footsteps pounding into the gravel.

"You really think I didn't say goodbye because I don't care?" Soul bellowed.

Maka had pissed him off, and she was glad for it. She whirled around to meet him, only to see that he had already caught up to her completely. Their faces were inches apart. She gave him a harsh glare. "That's what it seemed like," she said.

His face was a map of pure fury. "I can't believe that after all these years, you still don't know a goddamn thing about me."

She almost staggered backwards, hamstrung by this vile slander, but Maka held firm. "Fine," she said. "Then why didn't you say something?"

"Because it's too fucking hard Maka!"

Swallowing, Maka finally looked at Soul without the colored lenses of her outrage and longing. The pain in his voice, the raw emotion stirring in his eyes, it was so obvious now. Blinded by her own feelings, she had missed it the whole time. Her face, already flushed with anger, felt even more hot as she realized just how upset wreck her weapon had become.

"I can't even begin to explain to you how much I'm gonna miss you," Soul said raggedly. "When I think about not seeing you every day, it makes me want to tell Kid to fuck himself and _just not go._ If you think that I didn't say goodbye to you because you don't mean as much to me as everybody else, you're wrong." Soul paused to swallow, and his voice became steel. "It's because you mean more to me. So there, there's your fucking goodbye."

Trembling with anger, Soul turned to stalk back over to his bike, and Maka found herself running to catch up with him. She was dimly aware of the dampness gathering around her eyes. "Wait, Soul!"

Soul, now ready to mount his bike, scowled at her. "What?"

"You-you keep," Maka was shaking so much from frustration that she could hardly speak. "You can't just-"

"What?"

Mako jumped on her tiptoes and threw arms around her weapon. She squeezed her eyes shut and closed the distance between their lips, kissing him on the mouth. Her boldness paid off when one of his hands found her waist to pull her closer, and the other cupped her cheek.

Later, when they lay in a tangle of bed sheets and sighed in the darkness, neither had thought the act of love had ever been so sweet or so full.

* * *

><p>She woke up smiling.<p>

Soul's room was nothing but a repository of boxes and packed luggage, so they spent the night in her. Maka awoke briefly several times in the early morning, only to fall back asleep, satisfied by the warmth of his chest. The last time she woke up, her cheek felt only the coolness of her pillowcase.

She rose from bed, suddenly naked and shy, and picked up a discarded shirt off the floor. Was it ok to greet him while wearing something of his? Had they reached that point? At any rate, she slipped it over her head anyway and made her way into the kitchen. He was at the stove, stirring a pot of instant ramen in only a tshirt and boxers. The breakfast of champions, he had always said. Ramen for breakfast always grossed Maka out, but watching him there, stirring his breakfast like old times, it seemed so right. This was where he belonged, and this was where he was going to stay.

Soul noticed her over her shoulder, standing with her hair in disarray and wearing only a wrinkled t-shirt, and his grin made her want to melt into a puddle on the floor. He mouthed a silent 'hey' to her, and she smiled and mouthed 'hey' back. Still confident from crossing a dozen lines the night before, she strode over to give him a peck on the lips, but Soul's arm snaked around her waist, allow him to lean in and deepen the kiss. Her face and neck were flushed when they finally broke apart.

"Last night was-"

"It really was," Maka agreed.

Soul laughed under his breath. "You know, I woke up with the biggest smile today."

"Me too!" Maka said. She looked down, suddenly self-conscious. "You know, it was like one of those things that you think is never going to happen, and then it does," Maka looked up at her weapon, eyes full of starlight and love. "And it's everything you want it to be."

Soul reeled her in for a hug, and Maka laid her face against his chest. "I know," Soul said. Maka buried her face further into his shirt, memorizing his natural scent.

"It was just," Soul said. "the perfect way to say goodbye."

The ramen was ready, and Soul let her go to strain and eat his noodles. Though he was still only three feet away, Maka felt the rift rising between them again. The scent lingering on his clothes already seemed stale, his smiles fleeting. She kept herself together long enough to make it to the bathroom, where the roar of the shower overwhelmed her senses and disguised her tears.


End file.
